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Up Close And On Fire – Episode 5 Johan from Mindshift

MINDSHIFT is a Swedish melodic metal band which was founded in 2006 by guitarist Johan Lund. Over the years, the band went through various lineups (as most bands in their early stages do), and finally released their debut album No Regrets in early 2012. For Johan however, the original lineup never reached its full potential. That all changed in the fall of that year when singer Marcus Mao Uggla (who played bass in Blowsight at the time) joined the band on vocals. It was the moment when Mindshift took things to a new level. They quickly began writing new material, and a new era of Mindshift began.

By April of 2013, Mindshift entered Soundfraction Studios, and recorded the four song EP Evilution, which would define the band’s direction and musical vision well into the future. A few months after releasing the EP, Mao and Johan recruited drummer Fabien Fabbe Perreau (also from Blowsight), and the band recorded their five song EP In Time, which was released in January of 2014. Later that year, in the Fall of 2014, Mindshift began recording songs for their second full-length album, Horizon and finally in the Fall of 2015 after finishing the album and performing dozens of shows, the band caught the attention of Eclipse Records, which signed Mindshift to a worldwide multi-album deal.

On the signing, vocalist Mao says, “I’m proud to be a part of the Eclipse Records family. Having worked with them before, I know that they always give one hundred percent to their artists, and that’s so hard to find in a label these days”. Guitarist Johan continues, “We’re all looking forward to working with a label that’s actually as passionate about the music as we are.”

Horizon is jam-packed with fifteen amazing tracks of mind-blowing melodic metal that’s guaranteed to offer something new, and showcase some of the best new music coming out of the Swedish metal scene today. The title track, ‘Horizon’ is a stellar composition mixing vocal melodies and brutal guitars in the perfect proportions. Vocalist Mao explains, “Horizon is about the senseless tragedy of things that happen in the world around us. The Charlie Hebdo attack, the brutal massacre at the Bataclan Concert Hall, the senseless wars in the Middle East, etc… One day I just asked myself, what can I do to make this world survive, prevent it from tearing itself apart?” The standout track however is ‘Absolution’ which addresses the fact that everyone has a deep dark secret which they want to repent for, so they can just start over. A reset button on their past, so they can change the present.

Whether they’re weaving a soundscape of technically-progressive metal, or layers of sonic textures to mesmerize the listener, MINDSHIFT are always pushing the boundaries of modern music to the next level. The voice of their souls translates into the honesty of their music, and after all… isn’t that what we all want to hear?

Since The Indie Authority is no more as of 07/18/2016 the original interview has been removed.

we will have to do this again on another platform at a later date. in the meanwhile